


Becoming Family

by Stacy LA Stronach (slashgirl)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Fluff, M/M, of the fluffiest type
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-23
Updated: 2010-12-23
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4854509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashgirl/pseuds/Stacy%20LA%20Stronach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch and Reid move slowly toward one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Becoming Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_gublette](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the_gublette).



> Written for the Criminal Minds Exchange Fest on LJ in 2010; recipient was the_gublette and the prompt was: "The Hotchner men adopting Reid into their family (again, either a relationship or friendship would be fine)"
> 
> Many thanks, as always, to my beta reader, nebula99.

The first time Hotch invited him over for dinner on a Friday night was in the late fall, a couple months after Haley had been killed by George Foyet. Reid had almost refused. 

Hotch walked out of his office--it was earlier than he would've left before.... Reid couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt about Mrs. Hotchner and what had happened to her; he knew there was nothing he or the team could've done that would've changed things, but still. Hotch left much earlier now that he had Jack. Most days he tried to leave by six so that he could at least get home to tuck his son into bed. Reid was certain that Hotch worked a lot from home after Jack was put to bed-- 

"Would you like to come over for supper?" 

Hotch's question interrupted Reid's thoughts and it took him a moment to realise what had been asked. "No, I'm fine--" 

"I'd really like the company, Spencer," Hotch said in the quiet way that he had. 

The use of his first name threw Reid, it wasn't often Hotch used it, and that's what convinced him. "I, sure, okay," Reid replied, smiling. 

"Did you drive in?" Hotch asked and at Reid's affirmative nod, he added, "Then you can follow me home." Hotch waited while Reid gathered his things and they walked to parking garage together. 

On the way over, Reid couldn't help but worry about how the evening was going to go. Would he get along with Jack, would he like what Hotch made for supper, how long would Hotch expect him to stay.... Reid shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts free. While part of him knew that Hotch wouldn't ask him over if he didn't want his company, another slightly smaller part felt that he'd screw it up, like he screwed everything up. Reid sighed and tuned the car radio to NPR, hoping to find some distraction. 

By the time they arrived at Hotch's apartment, Reid had managed to calm down--he hoped it was enough so that he wouldn't do anything stupid. He parked in one of the guest spots and climbed out of the car, pulling his satchel with him. 

Reid followed Hotch up to the apartment. Almost as soon as they walked through the door, Jack ran for his father. "Daddy!" 

 

Hotch set his briefcase down and grabbed his son, picking him up and hugging him. "Hey, there, Jack." 

Jessica Brooks came out of the kitchen. "Hi, Aaron," she said, glancing at Reid. 

"Oh, yeah, Jess, you remember my co-worker, Spencer Reid?" 

She smiled at Reid and at the little wave he gave her instead of shaking hands. "Yes, Spencer, you're the genius, right?" 

"Um, yeah, I am. It's, ah, good to see you again, Ms. Brooks." 

Jess smiled as she shrugged on her jacket. "Please, call me Jess," she said. "Aaron, Jack and I made a stew in the crock pot for you for supper and I've got an appointment on Monday but my mom said she'd watch Jack once he finished at daycare, okay? I wrote it down in the book." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Sorry I'm in such a rush but Mike's in town for the weekend--he got a bit of surprise leave, so I'm heading out to meet him for supper!" She leaned in and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, I'll see you later, buddy." 

Hotch nodded. "Not a problem, say hi to Mike for me and have a good weekend. And thank you." 

Reid watched Jack snuggle against his father, looking at Reid from under his bangs. 

"You remember Dr. Reid, don't you, Jack?" Hotch asked. 

"You can call me Spencer," Reid said. He reached out and let his fingers stroke the air behind Jack's ear. "Goodness, what did I just find?" He held up a quarter between his fingers. 

Jack wriggled and perked up, smiling at Reid. "That wasn't in my hair!" 

"Hmm, maybe it was in your ear? But, hey, what's this?" Reid reached around and did the same on the other side, holding up another quarter. "I think maybe it came out of your ear." 

Jack giggled and his father set him down. "Do you know lots of magic tricks?"

"I know a few."

"Can you show me some more, Spenser?" 

"Jack, you really shouldn't--" 

"It's okay, Hotch, I don't mind. I can show him a few tricks, no problem," Reid replied. He was surprised when Jack grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room. He could hear Hotch chuckling as he watched the two of them. 

A few hours later, Reid was driving back to his apartment. The evening had gone better than he'd expected. He'd made a connection with Jack, which surprised him a little bit. Reid supposed he had more ease with kids since he'd become Henry's godfather and spending a lot of time with his godson. The best part of the evening, by far, had been after Jack was in bed--he and Hotch had simply talked about everything and nothing. 

If Reid was honest with himself (and that was something he now tried to do all the time), he was attracted to Hotch, maybe even had a bit of a crush on him. Reid knew that it was one sided and would always be so; therefore he took what he could get of Hotch--and it really wasn't so bad. Reid couldn't help but grin, alone in his car for he knew he was a rather hopeless case when it came to Aaron Hotchner.

The second time Hotch invited him for dinner was a couple weeks after the first time. Things went much the same way and Reid enjoyed it. Soon after, Hotch would invite Reid over every Friday they were home and didn't have a case. It made the winter more enjoyable and while it did nothing to help Reid with his crush on Hotch, it did seem to strengthen their friendship--and Reid valued that friendship. 

Things got to the point where the two of them started having dinner together on Fridays when the team was on an away case. It had started almost by accident when they'd been on a case in New York; he and Hotch had been on their way back to the hotel fairly late on a Friday night and had decided to stop for Chinese takeout. 

Reid had carried the food while Hotch took his own briefcase and Reid's satchel up to their hotel room. They spread the food out on the desk--Hotch sat at the desk, his chair turned sideways to Reid's bed which was across from it. 

Settling onto the bed with some noodles, Reid attempted to use the chopsticks. He'd improved since they'd been here for the Doyle vigilante case, but he still felt useless. He glanced at Hotch who was watching him with a mix of sympathy and amusement. Reid frowned and attempted to get some food into his mouth. 

"Here, you're holding them wrong," Hotch said. He set his own food down and gently took hold of Reid's hand, bending his fingers around the sticks correctly. "Don't hold quite so tight, relax a bit, now try it."  
Reid did and managed to get something resembling a mouthful of noodles into his mouth. "Um, thanks, Hotch," he said with a shy smile before taking another mouthful. 

Hotch smiled, "You're welcome. I'd hate to see you starve if we ever ended up at a Chinese restaurant that didn't have any forks." 

"Ha ha ha," Reid replied, sticking his tongue out. 

"Be careful or your face might freeze that way," Hotch said, arching an eyebrow. "Of course, some people might think it's an improvement...." 

Reid couldn't help but laugh. "I'd still look better than you," he said, smirking. 

Hotch grabbed at his chest. "Oh, you wound me, sir," he said, trying for a sad tone, but his attempts to not laugh overcame him. 

Reid almost wished that the night would never end--he felt good, felt comfortable with Hotch (as he always had) but it was good to see Hotch laugh, too. 

After that night, they'd almost always have at least one meal together, most of the time it would just be the two of them. Every once in a while some of the others would join them and while Reid enjoyed those times he didn't enjoy them as much as his time with Hotch. 

Reid also found himself invited to spend a lot of the holidays with Hotch and Jack; Reid didn't tend to visit his mother on regular holidays--it upset her too much. He'd gone to the Whitehouse Easter Egg Hunt with Hotch and Jack. They'd met up with JJ, Will and Henry along with Garcia. Reid hadn't realised that doing kids stuff could be so much fun. Sometimes, Sean, Hotch's brother, was there for the holidays or even just for a weekend. Reid liked Sean--the other man was a comic book geek, too, so he was quite easy to talk to. There was the added bonus of Sean cooking whenever he was there--Hotch and Reid were no slouches in the kitchen but Sean was an actual chef. 

By the time Thanksgiving had arrived, Reid had spent a lot of time with Hotch and Jack. He liked spending time with both of them; Reid had grown attached to Jack. He felt some empathy with him; Reid had lost his mother, too, and although it was in a much different way than Jack had. 

Reid also knew he'd gone from crushing on Hotch to being in love with him. Knowing it wouldn't be reciprocated made Reid sad, but on the other hand, he felt like he had a family with Hotch and Jack--he was always welcome at Hotch's place and spending time with them was the highlight of his week a lot of times. 

The feeling of belonging to a family was one that Reid didn't know well; he experienced a form of it with the team--JJ and Em were what he imagined sisters would be like and Morgan, even with all his teasing, was the big brother. Reid smiled to himself, he guessed that made Garcia the weird aunt and Rossi...Rossi was the rich uncle who gave the underage kids drinks and told them dirty jokes behind their parents' backs. 

Reid was helping Sean prepare the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner as he thought about Hotch and his family, the family Reid now felt like he shared. If Reid had been a woman, he and Hotch would've been considered to have been dating for a while now; but he wasn't and they really weren't. 

Reid sighed as he looked into the dining and living rooms; Jessica Brooks and her mother were sitting at the dining room table, helping Jack colour some pictures. Jess' boyfriend, Mike along with Hotch, and Lilith Hotchner, Hotch's mother, were all watching a football game on TV. (Reid had been rather surprised that the very refined Mother Hotchner was an avid football fan. He still didn't understand the appeal of it, but then Reid had never been one for sports.) 

Sean nudged him. "Why so glum, chum?" 

Reid smiled, "Not glum, just thinking." 

"Do you ever stop thinking?" Sean teased with a grin. 

"Only when I sleep." 

"So, what is the great Dr. Reid contemplating on this festive day?" 

"Nothing earth shattering. I was actually trying to figure out the appeal of football. I really don't understand it." 

Sean laughed. "Don't let mother hear you say that--she has a long lecture, a very long lecture about the joys of football." He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. "C'mon, everything's ready to go, we can go back in and you can continue your study of why football is fun," Sean said, clapping Reid's shoulder. 

The rest of the day went by in a flash and before Reid knew it, it was time to go home. "I didn't realise it was so late," he said, looking at his watch and seeing that it was after 10 pm. "I should head home."  
"It was good to see you again, Spencer," Sean said. "Drive safely." 

Reid got up and put on his jacket and boots. "Yeah, good to see you, too, Sean and I will." 

Hotch put on his shoes and sweater. "I'll walk you down to your car." 

Reid frowned slightly and then shrugged. If Hotch wanted to go out in the cold, that was up to him. "Okay." 

They walked out to Reid's car silently. Reid glanced at Hotch a few times; the other man seemed almost... nervous. But that was stupid, Hotch didn't get nervous about anything. "Well, here we are," Reid said when they got to his car. 

"Yeah, here we are," Hotch said. 

Reid reached for the car handle, but Hotch reached out and stopped him, his hand covering Reid's. Hotch moved so that he was standing in front of Reid. "Spencer, there's...um, god, I need to tell you something--" 

"You're not sick are you?" It was the first thing that came to Reid's mind. 

Hotch shook his head. "Oh, god no. I just. Spencer, I'd like us...I'd like to be more than, ah, friends with you." 

It took a moment for what Hotch was saying to register with Reid; he was so focused on Hotch's nervousness that the actual words took a moment to process. 

"If you don't want to, I understand and I don't want you to feel obligated--" 

Reid pressed a finger against Hotch's lip. "I want to and I'm not feeling pressured. I've wanted this for a while. Now shut up," Reid said. He leant forward, pressing his mouth against Hotch's. Hotch gasped at the contact and Reid deepened the kiss, letting his tongue stroke slowly over Hotch's lips before sliding into his mouth. Reid moaned as Hotch responded and the next thing Reid knew he was being pushed up against the side of his car with Hotch's arms wrapped around him. 

They kissed for what seemed like forever but was only a couple minutes. Reid finally pulled back from the embrace and grinned at Hotch. "If we don't stop, I'll end up pulling you into the back seat and having my wicked way with you." 

Hotch chuckled. "That's not much of deterrent," he said, leaning in to kiss Reid's cheek.  
Reid laughed. "I guess not." He kissed Hotch again, quickly and softly. "I guess I should go, although I really don't want to." 

"Come over tomorrow for lunch, I want you to spend the day with us." 

"I'd really like that. Cus I think we need to talk about this, if we're going to have a relationship. I mean there's work to think about and Jack and--" 

"Tomorrow," Hotch said. "We'll talk then." He grinned at Reid who was grinning back at him. "I think we probably look like a couple of love sick idiots, standing here staring at each other." 

"Yeah, probably. But I don't care," Reid said. 

Hotch's grin faded to a soft smile. "Goodnight, Spencer. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Goodnight, Hotch," Reid said. He climbed into his car and started the engine. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight, all he'd be able to think about was Hotch. Hotch kissing, Hotch obviously wanting to have a relationship with him, how good it felt to have Hotch holding him...and tomorrow. There was tomorrow to think about.... 

It was just over a month later and Reid was at Hotch's place, helping him put Jack's presents from "Santa" under the tree. "There, I think that's it," Reid said as he placed a large box under the tree. He stood up and moved back to stand next to Hotch, who wrapped his arm around Reid's shoulder. 

"It looks wonderful," Hotch said, pressing a kiss against Reid's temple. "And I'm so glad you're here to celebrate with us." 

Reid smiled, "I'm really glad to be here, Aaron." 

Hotch slid his arm down, taking Reid's hand into his own. "Now that we're done that, let's sit down and have a rest." 

The two men sat down, side by side. Hotch put his arm around Reid's shoulder again and Reid leant his head against Hotch's shoulder, sighing. "I never really had a Christmas like this. Mom didn't believe in lying to children--so I never had Santa or the Easter Bunny." 

"I'm sorry, babe. Do you think it's a bad thing--lying to our kids about those things?" 

Reid shook his head. "No, it's part of growing up in our culture and I think I missed out on some things, but I survived." 

Hotch nodded. They sat there, basking in the multicoloured lights of the Christmas tree. After a few minutes, Hotch spoke. "Spencer, there's something I want to ask you." 

Reid glanced at Hotch. "Shoot." 

Hotch cleared his throat. "I'd like you to move in with me." 

Reid turned and hugged Hotch. "I'd love to move in with you, Aaron," he said and he kissed Hotch. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Hotch said as Reid settled back against him. "Merry Christmas." 

Reid smiled. He hadn't been this happy since Hotch had first said he wanted to be with Reid. He could get used to this, that was for sure. And knowing Hotch, he'd have lots of time to do so. Gazing dreamily up at his lover, Reid said, "Merry Christmas. And to all a good night."


End file.
